Container car



T. A. BIGGS.

yCONTAINER QAR.

APPLICATION FILED Nov: 25, 192|.

Hamm,

T. A. BIGGS.

CONTAINER'CAR.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 25. 1921.

31.482.151., PaIenIeII (ICI. II?9 w22,

2 SHEETS SHEET 2.

Patented @cto i7., i222.-

lnld Zyldlr4 raranr orne CNTAENEFJ @AR .application 'lled November 25, 1921. Serial No. 517,471.

To all whom t may concern: l

Be it known that ll',f'l`noMAs A. Bleesl a citizen of the United States7 residing at Sioux City, county oflifoodbury, and State 'ot llowa, haveinvented a new and useful improvement in Container Cars, of which theI following is a specication.

This invention relates t container cars. An object of the invention is to provide an improved container system for rail transportation including a series of. individual containers or tanks adapted for transportation upon railway cars or other cars designed therefor, and including a novel con struction and arrangement for unloading the individuel containers or tanlrs troni the cars upon which they are carried. Another object of the invention is to pro; vide means tor utilizing the torce ot gravity ior unloading the containers or tanks trom the cars. i

Another object ot the invention is `to pro vide a system of unloading and loading the containers or tanks by utilization of the :torce ot gravity Ylor both purposes.

Another object of the invention isto provide an improved car for use in transporting a series ci 1hd1v1dual containers or tanlrs.

including individual supports for the conf` tainers or tanks., and means for inclining the supports individually tor the purpose or utilizing the torce ot gravity in loadmg and unloading the containers or tanks.

@ther objects ot the invention will appear from the following description, reference' beingv made to the drawing in which- Fig. l is a side elevation oil the invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the aprons at one side of the car extended outwardly to the ositions they occupy when used tor unn loa 1ng purposes.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of one of thel containers, the car body being shown in section.

' Fig. l is a diagrammatic view showing the arrangement for utilizing the force ci gravity in unloading and loading theI containers or tanlrs.

Fig. 5 is an enlargedv view showin the pivoted arrangement ot the aprons an the earns controlled thereby for supporting the pivot/ed plates or declss that carry the conl tainers or tanlrs. p

- Fig. 8 is a similar view showing the apron extended .laterally to permit incdination of the plate or denh controlled thereby.

. angular Y ln the embodiment of the invention shown the Abody or trame oir' the car supports a shaft il midway between the sides thereof.. A number ci separate plates or decks 2 have brackets 3 rigid with their undersides and pivotally mounted upon the shaft l. v-lln this way the plates or. decks 2 are supported proper'height above the permanent bed ot lthe car. About six inches of space between tl permanent bed ota the car and the inclinn a Ae enabo innents ot the invention, though this space inay be increased or reduced as deu sired without variation trom the principle ot the invention c v A shaft l is supported above and near peach side edge of the car body. A number oit aprons 5 are pivoted to each ot the sha ts d. and are movable to and 'troni vertical po sition against the sides of the separate conm tainers or tanks 5. 'lihe container tanlr's t are of any desired construction and inaterial.v Rollers 7 on horizontal axes sup port the tanks and facilitate the utilization ot the torce of gravity in loading and unloading the container tanks upon and 'from the inclinable plates or decks 2; alud rollers 7S on vertical axes and operating against the sides ot rails 7b on the plat/es 2 guide the tanks in loading and unloading and hold the tanks from shitting in transit. At each side of the several container tanks is a -pivoted element 8 forming latches adapted to engage with and support the aprons 5 vertically against the side out the container tanks on the car., as shown.

.By reference to Figs. 5 and 6 the construction and arrangement ot the aprons 5 will be more clearly understood.' As there shown, each ot the aprons 5 has'an angular plates or decks is suthcient tor'niost till pomion 9 at its lower edge pivot/ed upon the i corresponding shaft d.' This arrangement 1s desired in order that when one ot the aprons 5 is turned over to an' inclined posi tion, as shown in Fig. 4l, the upper surface yico y ot said apron will torni a continuation et l the upper surface ont the inclined plate or deck 2. When an apron 5 is inclined for loading or unloadin purposes, the adjacent edge of the inclinab'e plate or deck 2 is sup ported upon the flat upper sfin'faceof the F@ 6 portion 9, as clearly shown in Fach endet the angular portion 9, ot each ot the aprons 5 is provided with a cam corna prdsing a portion l0 of short'radius and 'a sie lll

portion 11 of long radius. The relationship of the parts is such that when the 'aprons are raised vertically at the sides of the' container tanks, the edges of the inclinable plates or decks 2 are supported upon the cams which are of short radius. When one of the aprons 5 is turned over to an inclined positlon, the projections 12 on the adJaoent edge of the correspondin plate or deck 2 drop to the flat upper si es of the' integral cams 10 and 11; while at the same time the apron 5 at the opposite side of the container tank is swung downwardly to a position in which it is suspended from itsv supporting shaft 4. rllhis causes the lo cams 11 invconneetion with the apron whic is swung downwardly, as stated, to raise the adjacent side of the inclinable plate or deck 2 to move said plate or deck from its normal horizontal position to the inclined position shown by broken lines in Fig. 3. In

y aprons 5 may be rested upon a movable platform 13 which is also inclined.

The system, as shown in F ig. 4, involves the idea and means of transferring container. tanks from one car to another. The system there shown includes the movable platform 13 which receives upon its higher end theapron 5 of the car from which the tank is to be moved. Gravity is utilized to .move the container tank from the car over the inclined apron 5 and onto the movable or portable platform 13. The lower end of the inclined portable platform will be in line with the upper edge of the tiltab ve platform or deck of the car onto which t e container tanks are to be loaded, and in this way gravity is utilized throughout for un-l loading and loading of the container tanks fromone car to another.l lin Fig. 3 a motor n truck 13 stands on inclined ground or on an inclined platform or base to obtain the body same result..v

Each side of each of the container tank is preferabl equippedjwith a ring 14 or equivalent evice for receiving a rope or cable to hold backv and control the container tanks in their movements.,A

At the end of the-bed or body of the car a part 15 is provided to prevent endwise movement of thev container tanks. Preferably each car is made of the capacity to receive several ofthe containerl tanks in slightly spaced relation, removable"l blocks locks 17 may be'turned to position to ena gage Ithe side edges of the plates 2 and thereby hold the tanks from movement until the locks are disengaged from said plates 2.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the present invention 1s designed and 'adaptfed to utilize the force of gravity in unloading and loadingthe container tanks. The container tanks may be respectively loaded and unloaded without interference with the others since the inclinable plate or deck for eac-h container tank is capable of independent control. The construction and arrangement may be varied in numerous particu-lars without departure fromthe nature and principle of the invention.

I do not ,restrict myself unessentially,y but what l claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A container car, comprising a body, a number of inclinable plates or decks pivoted above the longitudinal axis of the car body, means for moving said plates or decks to and from inclined position, and'means for suplso porting the plates or decks in horizontal pol sition.

'2. A container car, comprising a body, a number of inclinable `plates or decks pivoted above the longitudine axis of the car body, means for movi said plates-or decks to and from incline position, means for supporting the plates or decks in horizontal position, and a separate container tank removably mounted on each of said plates or decks.

3. A container car,compris1ng a car body, a number of inclinable plates or decks pivoted above the longitudinal axis of the car body, means for supporting the ptes or decks horizontally above the car and means for moving the plates or decks inde` pendently to inclinedpositions above the car y Il. A container car, comprisingv a car body, a numfber of inclinable plates or decks pivoted above the longitudinal axis of the car body, means for supporting the lates or decks horizontally above the car bo y, means for moving the plates or decks independently to inclined positions above the car body, a removable contalner tank su ported by each inclinable plate or ,deckfan means for holding the container tank in. position on the inclinable plate or deck.

5. container car, comprising a car body,-

rit

maaier Q a number of inclinable plates or decks pivoted above the longitudinal axis of the car body, cams for supporting the side edges of the plates to maintain the plates in horizontal positions and being movable `to position to permit the plates to be inclined, and means vfor inclimng the plates.`

6. A container carJ comprising a body, a number of inclinable plates or decks pivoted above the longitudinal axis of the body, cams for supporting the side edges of the plates to maintain the plates in horizontal positions, means for moving the cams at either side of the plates to position to permit the adjacent side of the plates to lower, and cams for raising the opposite sides of the plates to incline the'plates and to support the plates in their inclined positions.

7 A container car, comprising a car body, a number of inclinable plates or decks pivoted above the longitudinal axis of the car body, a container tank supported on each of said plates or decks, means for supporting the plates ordecks in horizontal positions when the container tanks are on the plates, and means for moving the plates or decks to inclined positions to utilize the force of gravity in moving the container tanks onto or from the inclined plates or decks.

8. A container car, comprising a body, a number of inclinable plates or decks pivoted above the longitudinal axis of the car body, a container tank for each plate or deck, rollers for supportingnthe container tanks respectively on the platesI or decks, means for supporting the plates or decks in horizontal positions when the container tanks are thereon, and cams for moving the plates or decks to inclined positions to utilize the force of gravity to move the container tanks from the plates or decks.

9. A container car, comprising a car body, a shaft supported longitudinally above the axis of the car body, a series of separately movable plates or decks pivoted to said shaft,v

cams on each side edge of the car body for supporting the plates or decks in horizontal ported upon eachfplate or deck, a movable platform having an inclined upper surface, an inclinable apron supported by the car movable to position to rest upon the inclined top of the movable platformmeans for raisingthe opposite side edge of the plate or deck to support the same in an inclined position corresponding tothe inclined position of said apron and of said platform to utilize the force of gravity in moving the container tank from the inclined plate or deck, and an adj acently positioned car having its upper surface in substantial alinement With the lower end of the inclined surface of the movable platform to utilize the force of gravity in moving the container tank from the platform thereto.

THOMAS A. BGGS. 

